The Vampire Lestat Recap: Episode 5, “New York”

The Vampire Lestat continues with episode 5, “New York.” Lestat sets out to make a record, but his past keeps getting in the way. Louis heads down a dark road while Daniel and Armand have a conversation. And we finally get to meet the Queen herself. Here is The Vampire Lestat recap of episode 5.

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The Failures, Album 41, Side B

The recording studio is busy as Lestat (Sam Reid) and Sam (Chris Geary) watch the band working on a song. Lestat keeps asking them to do take after take. The shooting allowed Lestat to fade away in the public eye, and thanks to a shooting the same night with a larger body count, the concert shooting faded quickly. Larry (Noah Reid), Alex (Seamus Patterson), TC (Sarah Swire) and Salamander (Ryan Kattner) are getting tired of so many takes, but Lestat persists because this has to be perfect. 

Lestat explains that an “amnesia fund” was created for the people involved in the shooting. Funds went out to various locals who covered the shooting, along with Dee, Fareed, Daniel (Eric Bogosian) and Christine, who bought a retirement villa and used billable hour invoices to wallpaper her sex dungeon. 

By take 61, the band is beyond frustrated. Lestat says in narration that he’s been working nonstop on the album, rarely making use of his coffin. The studio is full of debris, with young Lestat, Nicky (Joseph Potter) and Louis (Jacob Anderson) sitting among the band as Lestat talks about his muses. 

As Lestat moves to record his part, he talks about how he would perfect the song and go on to perform it live, only once, at what will become his “infamous” concert. But he’s getting ahead of himself. Since rumors were swirling that he actually survived the shooting, Gabriella (Jennifer Ehle) took over Christine’s job to manage the band and Lestat’s music. The narrowed the inner circle to Lestat, Gabriella and Sam. Gabriella hired Sam because he’d faked his death before and she knew he’d stay in line because Lestat hated him for what happened in Paris. 

While Lestat records “Big Bad Wolf,” Muse Louis stands beside him. He does one take, declares it perfect, and moves on. In narration, Lestat says he’s going to tell the story about his early musical inspiration. And he’s finally going to talk about the Queen.

TC records a drum beat under Lestat’s frustrated gaze. He doesn’t like that the drums sound like a drum when they should sound like death approaching, and then life. We see a man digging and then pulling a lifeless body from the ground. The drums, Lestat says, should be like a metaphor. When she says she doesn’t understand, Gabriella says it’s because she’s not a vampire. 

Lestat says they are making an album about his three-century trainwreck of a life. The drums are his heart, Alex’s guitar is his hunger, Salamander’s bass is his night terrors and Larry’s guitar is his frailty. We see muddy Lestat lying in the dirt with blood dripping onto his face as present-day Lestat says he wants the band to kill him savagely. They move onto a different song. 

In the past, a man is talking nearby as Lestat slowly wakes up from his slumber. He’s weak, staggering toward the sound. He finds a man, Marius (Christopher Heyerdahl), in a workshop of some kind. Marius expected Lestat to express more gratitude for saving him and giving him blood. “She” told Marius where Lestat was so he went to get him and bring him back. And there they are. We see Akasha (Sheila Akim) on a slab next to her king, Enkil. 

Lestat is confused and asks who the man is. When Marius says he’s Marius de Romanus, the Keeper, he corrects himself and says Lestat is the new Keeper. Lestat says Armand told them that his maker was dead. “He was wrong,” Marius says. “Rotten boy.” Marius says that “she” likes music and invites Lestat to meet the Queen and King, the mother and father to all the vampires and “they must be kept.” Lestat realizes that Akasha’s stone skin is actually alive. 

Back in the present, Gabriella is on the phone making a deal and she says that they’re only planning on doing one in memoriam concert. She tells her son that someone wants the band to play with her after the album is recorded. Sam realizes that Lestat is going to re-record Larry’s part and says it’s bold. Lestat says he wants him to pretend he’s the silent mole doing Armand and Talamasca’s bidding. 

Marius tells Lestat that he should learn how to live. After surviving being buried for 80 years, Lestat has shown that he’s a survivor. When Lestat says he wanted to die, Marius challenges him and says he should find himself. He presents Lestat with a violin and says Akasha likes music. Lestat doesn’t know how to play, so Marius suggests he mimics his fledgling. He gives Lestat advice about feeding quickly and bringing the bodies back to be burned. Akasha doesn’t need blood, but the ashes are enough. 

Lestat sees Enkil’s injuries and Marius admits he made a mistake when transporting them to a new home. He left Enkil outside. Lestat recalls the time when his skin burned at night and it turns out that injuring the Mother and Father can injure vampires all over the world. Lestat and Gabriella went into a bog and it took months to recover. 

Marius says that his mistake set their kind back ages. If the Mother and Father burn, they all burn. Now Lestat is the Keeper and he’s worthy of the job. Marius says Akasha will tell him herself, though it might take a while for her to speak — it took her 22 years for her to speak when he first took the job of caring for them. After he leaves, Akasha’s voice rings out. “23,” she says. 

The Failures, Album 46, Side A

Louis (Jacob Anderson) regales “Claudia” aka Regina (Delainey Hayles) with work stories. He’s telling her about his new business venture and she says she has missed him, calling him brother. He missed her, too, and he also missed Madeleine, who sits beside her. Fake Madeleine speaks with an overdone French accent.

Louis plays along with this disturbing game, but you can see he’s getting something out of it. Fake Madeleine breaks character after Regina compliments her act, and the magic is broken for Louis. The two women share a kiss and the magic dies even more. 

Out on the New York street, Daniel (Eric Bogosian) is gathering stories from people mourning The Vampire Lestat. He encounters a vampire who doesn’t want to be named. Soon his story morphs into Armand’s (Assad Zaman) voice as he describes becoming obsessed with a mortal. He followed the mortal for 52 years, watching him as he slept and eventually “interceeding on his behalf” by saving his life after he overdosed. 

Daniel finds Armand on a park bench and is furious that Armand was in his life for 52 years and never said anything. Armand planned on telling him, but Daniel wasn’t ready to hear it. Daniel wants Armand to prove he’s in love with him. Armand tells him about various events, including a book signing in 1990 that ended with Daniel “using” one of the students and a time when he mourned his daughter casting him out of his life. He didn’t want to tell Daniel he loved him until he made amends, but he’s been there with him for 52 years. 

Daniel wants to know where Louis was while Armand was watching him. Armand says Louis would listen to the stories about Daniel, having been aware of Armand’s infatuation. Armand wants to know why Daniel continues to follow Lestat and says that love between vampires can be many things. Like Lestat and Sofia… 

Armand changes the subject and says he wants to be Daniel’s maker and give him his life back. Daniel wants to know what he was about to say about Lestat and Sofia. Armand continues, saying he can help Daniel walk in the sun. Daniel’s expression cracks as Armand says he knew Sofia as the vampire Gabriella. “She’s Lestat’s mother,” Armand explains. “What?” Daniel asks. “Lestat lays with his mother,” Armand tells him. But that’s not what has Daniels attention anymore. “Did you say walk in the sun?” he asks. 

The band sings the chorus “make more” as Lestat and Gabriella talk about the past and the times she was in New Orleans. She tells him the story of when he was three and they were walking by the river picking up sticks. He says she was a terrible mother and she agrees. We see a quick flashback to young Lestat watching the witches burn. Gabriella tells him that she didn’t need him anymore when they were in Spain, where she left him. She says it broke the circle. 

They share a kiss. She smiles as he tells her that she needs him now. “I do,” she agrees as the band sings “make more.” Salamander asks what “makes more” means. Lestat plays coy. 

In the past, Lestat is vibrant in his role as the Keeper. He tells Akasha and Enkil the story of his shopping trip. He brought her an ice cream scoop and says the word “scoop” over and over again. He plays the violin for her and she starts to say “scoop” too.

As Lestat plays, he wonders who made Akasha if she was the first. Why did Gabriella leave him? Is he evil? Is his evil based on his nature? Where is God?” At the last question, Akasha knocks the scoop on the ground.

Back in the present, Lestat works on a recording of “Big Boss” while Nicky tries to distract him. In order to get the sound right, TC helps Lestat to run outside and record the high note in broad daylight. He does take after take, trying to get the properly tortured sound. Only when his skin is melting off does Lestat believe he got it right. 

Meanwhile, in a little boat on a lake, Louis and Regina are talking. She asks where he’s at with Lemuel. “Keeping it loose,” he says. Then he tells her she doesn’t have to “do the accent.” They start the conversation over again. Regina takes notes as he talks. Louis sees her writing and asks what she’s writing. When a guard tells them to bring the boat back, Louis uses his power to make him freeze. Regina asks him to do it to her, and once she’s frozen he holds her hand but it hurts him. She unfreezes and is confused, but he’s overcome. They paddle back to shore. 

In the past, years have passed and now Lestat is playing a record for Akasha. He’s singing along with the melody as Akasha taps her finger. Lestat is acting more like Marius now, having set a whole table with placecards for all of his muses over the years. “No voices,” Akasha tells him. Lestat keeps talking as he applies more ashes to her skin. This stops her tapping. Lestat tells Enkil that Imaginary Magnus has his hand down his brother’s pants. Lestat applies some blood to Akasha’s lips as the record ends in the middle of the symphony. The record has a scratch in it and Lestat breaks it. “I ruined your party,” he tells Akasha as people celebrate outside. It’s 1900. “We made it,” he says. He turns to see Akasha sitting up. “Come to me,” she says. He takes her hand and she grabs him and drinks from him. 

In the present, Lestat is singing when he sees his younger self trying to read. Lestat remembers the passage his young self is reading. It’s Thomas Aquinas, Lestat says. Sam asks if he’s ok. Lestat asks Sofia why she took him to see the witches, but Young Lestat says his phone is buzzing and he needs to check it. “Thomas Pitty He’s A Whore” is begging him to call. He needs help. Lestat sees visions of his mother and Louis int he past and storms into the studio to tell Larry to take the song down to another step, then he tells the band to lay it down in the new key. He tells Sam to lay it down.

Alex finds his brother and says that Lestat is an asshole. He tells Larry that they’re finally making an album that people will want to hear. Just get through it, record it, and then rest. 

In a car outside the diner, Louis tells Lestat about his time with Regina. Lestat listens silently as Louis says it’s all blurred and he called her Claudia. He knows it’s not real, but maybe it’s really her. He wants Lestat to go inside and see if it’s her.

Lestat is upset that he was shot and Louis didn’t check on him. Louis admits he’s selfish. He doesn’t have an answer for it. Lestat says he’s in the middle of recording his album, but he agrees to go inside. 

With his hood up, he goes in and sits at the counter. Regina presents him with a menu, but when Lestat pulls his hood off she knows who he is. “The internet says you’re dead,” she says. She looks out the window at Louis’ car. Lestat gets in her head and says she knew Louis has been outside for an hour, so she needs to stop performing. Lestat asks what Louis orders and says he’ll have the same. As she walks away, Lestat looks tortured. She gives him a glass of water and explains that she had some debts to pay off, and she still works at the diner to keep “some real real” in her life. She asks if Louis is bringing Lestat into this. “We’re gonna be a family, Uncle Les,” she says. Lestat tells her to find someone else to swindle, and that she’s hurting him. He keeps seeing images of Claudia. Regina knows she looks like Claudia even though Lestat knows she’s not really her. He walks outside to the car. “It’s not her, it’s not anything like her,” Lestat says. He mentions her eyes and Louis knows there’s no spark. Lestat advises him not to see her again, and the next time someone tries to kill him, Lestat would like it if Louis picked up the phone. 

Lestat returns to the studio and goes to the piano. He starts singing about “the day you were born” and we see Claudia standing nearby. As he pours his heart into the song, Sam starts to record. Claudia presses her face to the glass as she watches her maker. 

Later, Lestat plays the song to his band. TC says it’s beautiful. Lestat wants to re-record the whole album with instruments played like metaphors. And that means the band probably won’t be able to do it. Larry says that instead of firing the band, he’s leaving. It has been the best two years of his life, but this is where he leaves. “I quit,” he says. 

Once Larry is gone, TC can’t believe they’re going to re-record the whole thing. Gabriella laughs and says “not you” and Sam says it’s for their ears. TC, Alex and Salamander make it clear they are ready to become vampires. Lestat is reluctant and wants to save them from it. He tells them about being on the shores of Spain when his love left him. Then the Queen took pity and called him into service. 

We see Lestat floating while Akasha rambles on and on. Marius walks in, furious that Lestat drank her blood. Lestat says she told him to drink and now he’s been floating for three days. Marius tries to ease Akasha back on the slab. Once she’s there, Marius tells Lestat to leave. “She told me to drink,” Lestat insists. Akasha wants to understand what it all means and why her tongue is cut out and why she must be kept. Lestat flees as Marius yells at him to leave. “I am the answer!” Akasha screams. 

Lestat tells his band that this is the hell he lives in. “It cannot be restrained,” he says. He suggests they follow Larry to a better life. Alex cuts his hand and says they’re finishing the album. Salamander cuts his wrist. TC taps her neck and tells Lestat to make more. Gabriella and Sam watch hungrily and laugh. 

A woman recognizes Larry as he sits in the subway. She is a huge fan and wants to know if he’s making the album. As the train passes, a man stands behind her. Larry admits he’s not in the band anymore. He’s just tired. She apologizes and says he does look tired and she’ll leave him alone. 

Suddenly, Armand is beside him. He says the woman is right and Larry looks tired. Larry is confused. “Rest?” he asks. “Rest,” Armand replies. Larry gets up and jumps in front of the oncoming train as the crowd screams in horror. Armand looks oddly satisfied. 

The Vampire Lestat airs Sundays at 9pm ET/PT on AMC, with episodes available to stream the same day on AMC+.